The present application relates to a technology for developing an occupant information detection system installed in a vehicle.
Various occupant restraint devices are know that are intended to restrain a vehicle occupant with an airbag or the like in the event of a vehicle collision. There is a demand for technology in an occupant restraint device for restraining a vehicle occupant in the event of a vehicle collision that more precisely obtains information related to the physique and attitude of the vehicle occupant on a vehicle seat by a detection device such as a camera. For example, though there may be a difference between the actual physique and the apparent physique of the vehicle occupant because of the thickness of clothes and the like, it is advantageous to more precisely obtain the actual physique of the vehicle occupant. Though it is known to estimate the state of the vehicle occupant by the detection device, there is a need for an effective arrangement for more precisely obtaining information related to the physique and the attitude of the vehicle occupant. In addition, there is a need for a process for computing the physique and the attitude of a vehicle occupant with a reduced computing processing load and a reduced storage capacity.